The present invention relates to a electrical connector. More specifically, the invention relates to an electrical connector formed of a synthetic resin and having a rectangular cross section.
Recently, the numbers of electrodes or contacts carried by electrical connectors used in electrical appliances and the like have tended to increase due to the increasing complexity of the appliances. To install such a connector having an increased number of contacts, a like number of leads must be installed, making the total time to install the connector rather lengthy.
A conventional connector of the same general type to which the invention relates may include a plurality of small connectors fitted into a single engaging frame. A mating connector is provided at the other end.
For example, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, an engaging frame A' and A" of the connector has an engaging wall 1 having a generally rectangular cross section. The engaging frame is molded from a synthetic resin. However, the engaging wall 1 has a tendency to bend and deform, due to various factors, during the molding process. To prevent the engaging wall 1 from bending during molding, as shown in FIG. 1A, horizontally extending ribs a are formed on the outer surfaces of the engaging wall 1, or, as shown in FIG. 1B, vertically extending ribs b can be provided on the outer surface of the engaging wall 1.
When the size of the connector is increased though, and consequently the length of the engaging wall 1 is increased, the bending-preventing effect of the ribs a or b is decreased, as a result of which, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the engaging wall 1 has a marked tendency to bow slightly inwardly, as indicated at c and d, respectively. This may distort the shape of the connector to such an extent that it becomes difficult to fit it together with the mating connector.